Cseet 2002 Wolfe
Cseet 2002 Wolfe
Cseet 2002 Wolfe
Professional Engineers
The engineering profession in Canada
Accreditation and Software Engineering
National Guidelines for Licencing
One province’s experiences
Presenters
Digvir Jayas, P.Eng.
Chair, Canadian Engineering Qualifications Committee and
Associate Vice-President (Research) at the University of Manitoba
Gillian Pichler, P.Eng.
Director, Registration at the Association of Professional Engineers
and Geoscientists of British Columbia (APEGBC)
Pieter Botman, P.Eng.
Volunteer with APEGBC and independent consultant
Deborah Wolfe, P.Eng.
Director, Education, Outreach and Research at the Canadian
Council of Professional Engineers
Engineering in Canada
There are 160,000 registered professional
engineers in Canada
Canada’s system for the formation of an
engineer is world renowned
Canada is the 3rd largest exporter of
engineering services in the world
A Self-governing Profession
Section 92 (13) of the Constitution Act, 1867, places
professions under provincial and territorial jurisdiction.
Delegation to professions - self-governance
Licencing, discipline and enforcement
Associations/ordre formed to protect the public and govern
the profession
Legislative framework established
No industrial exemption: all those practising engineerng
must be registered
The Practice of Engineering
(CCPE Definition)
Civil Engineering
Environmental / Water Resources Option
Structural And Geotechnical Engineering Option
Engineering Management And Entrepreneurship
Option
Combined Program In Civil Engineering And
Computing Technology
Undergraduate Degrees Offered:
Example
Undergraduate Studies Program Titles
Mechanical Engineering
Combined Program In Mechanical Engineering /
Computing Technology
Engineering Management And Entrepreneurship Option
Task Force
Consultation & Liaison/Involvement with other
Bodies
• Members in Industry
• BC Technology Industries Association
• IEEE Computer Society
• SWEBOK
• Texas State Board for Engineers
History of Licencing in B.C.
69 applications received
First software engineer registered September 2000
Feedback prolific with mixed opinions
• No intention of becoming registered versus
• Finally someone is taking action to formally regulate standards
of practice
Those seeking registration
• Didn’t feel they would have qualified (or been interested in
qualifying) before software engineering recognized;
• Other disciplines who had moved into software engineering and
wished professional recognition;
• Computer Science/Math graduates needing professional
recognition to differentiate their qualifications from others
History of Licencing in B.C.
Evaluation of Applicants
Recognized:
• Non-traditional, growing discipline
• Continuing evolution of knowledge, technology and theory
• Combination of academics, in-house training, professional
development and experience make up qualification ‘whole’
• Lack of P.Eng. References in some, but surprisingly few, cases
Software Engineering Syllabus and first Experience
Guidelines used as Guidelines
Interviews used as a tool in many cases
Details of evaluation written up for each applicant, to
ensure consistency of evaluation
APEGBC Criteria:
Software Engineering Experience
Include, but extend general requirements
for “satisfactory Engineering experience”
Basic software knowledge *assumed*
Requires Breadth and Depth
Should demonstrate increasing level of
responsibility, usually multiple roles
APEGBC Criteria: SW Eng’g
Experience Capability Areas
Software requirements management
Elicitation, capture, tracing
Analysis, specification, validation
Software design and construction
Architecture: Views, patterns, components
Design methods, modeling, notations...
Implementation methods and tools
APEGBC Criteria: Experience
Capability Areas (cont.)
Software quality and testing
Defect metrics, assessment of quality,
Conformance to requirements
Testing methods
V&V
Software assets management
Configuration Management
Change Control
Release Management
APEGBC Criteria: Experience
Capability Areas (cont.)
Software project management
Different lifecycle models,
Estimation and metrics
Risk management
Software process engineering
Process metrics
Software process improvement
Process engineering
Criteria: Experience in optional
capability areas
Safety-critical systems
Transportation, nuclear industry, biomedical,
etc….
Legal issues
Licencing, IP, etc...
Security: privacy, authentication, etc.
Telecommunications
Human factors, ergonomics
…
Exclusions: Not Software
Engineering
Network design or management
System administration
Just use of software
Multimedia design
Pure technology investigation
Work lacking software elements
Work lacking engineering duties or
responsibility
Evaluating SW Engineering
experience - pragmatics
4 years is needed but may be insufficient!
Evaluate experience within applicant’s
environment (terminology, standards)
Look for an awareness of standards
technologies, and current best practices
Above all, demonstrate application of
principles, and understanding of many
engineering trade-offs
History of Licencing in B.C.
Computer & Software Engineering Division
Main focus is professional development
Professional Development Streams at Annual
Conference for past two years (2000 and 2001)
Partner with other groups (INCOSE, IEEE) for
this purpose
History of Licencing in B.C.
Current Picture:
Of 19,000 members and members-in-training
31 Registered as Software Engineers
200 Registered as Computer Engineers
Other practitioners in Electrical Engineering
For Example, those who list their industry segment as Software
Development, list their Primary Expertise as
• 103 Computer Software
• 11 Systems/Systems Integration
• 10 Telecommunications
• 6 project management; 5 Information systems
• 4 Administration/Management; 2 Microelectronics
• 2 Electromechanical systems
History of Licencing in B.C.
Current Picture:
Other industry segments represented, including
• Communication & Telecommunication
• Computer
• Education
• Electrical/Electronic
• Systems Integration
• Utilities